Safely Removing Mold Caused by Flooding

Damage caused by hurricanes, water surges, rivers overflowing, levees breaking, even tidal waves—these are all things that we have heard a lot about lately.

And, what about roof leaks and broken pipes that happen in everyday life? What happens to our homes and property after the water damage?

The mold starts growing and doing even more damage.

The smell of growing mold is offensive enough, but add to that the danger of breathing in mold spores and you have a very real problem.

If left untreated, mold can flourish and spread until it completely engulfs the walls, floors and ceilings.

It will, over time, destroy building materials and can create major health concerns.

Eventually the mold spores become airborne and can be ingested into our lungs and sinuses. Once inside your body, mold can cause a number of medical problems ranging from flu-like symptoms to respiratory disorders, depression, and even death.

These pictures are of water damage caused to a home by hurricane Katrina. This home suffered from flooding, but was in an area where the water subsided in a relatively short period of time. Even so, these photos show how the mold had already attacked the dry wall and turned it black.

You can see how high the water level reached in this once lovely home.

When mold and mildew gets this severe in a building, the only recourse is to have the mold-laden material removed and hauled away. Once the water receded, this homeowner busted up and removed the lower layer of dry wall, and the water soaked insulation, so the wall studs could dry properly.

The homeowner then used a FM-2 ozone generator, adjusted to it's highest setting, to shock each room for several days to kill the airborne mold as well as the mold on the surface of the 2x4 studs, plywood sheeting, and framing lumber. The ozone was also able to eliminate the mildew odor that had consumed the entire house.

They used masks to cover their nose and mouth during the restoration process to keep from breathing in mold spores, and made sure to only run the ozone generator in areas that were not occupied during these shock treatments.

These homeowners were able to solve their mold problem quickly and at considerable savings by doing the work themselves and by using an ozone machine. For homes that sustain more severe damage, hiring a mold remediation contractor may be the only viable alternative.

Most of the remediation contractors in hurricane devastated areas have a huge backlog of jobs, placing many residents on waiting lists. They are unable to even enter their homes because of the heavy mold concentration.

Many of these people have found that if they run one of our ozone generating machines during the night while the building is unoccupied, they can at least go inside the next day and remove their belongings or do some clean up, without being overcome by mold.

Anyone living in a flood prone area should have their own ozone generator to help with clean up when a flood occurs.

Many people just "give in" to the problem because they have no idea that there are ways to help themselves. They end up spending thousands of dollars every year to "hire it done". Most remediation specialists use ozone generators themselves to help with clean-up. Many actually recommend them to their clients.

Ozone generators have proven themselves many times over in water damage remediation. Having one on hand to deal with mold and mildew after everyday problems of leaks and broken pipes is a great clean-up resource.

Won't my insurance cover the cost of having mold removed?

Many insurance companies are no longer covering damage due to mold. The following is an excerpt from the United Policy Holders Organization website.

"Homeowner, commercial property owner and renter property policies differ in kind and in scope from insurer to insurer. Whether mold contamination is covered under your policy will depend on the specific policy language and the cause or causes of the mold contamination. Read your policy carefully. Some property policies are 'specified peril' policies, which may cover mold contamination if you can prove that it is caused by one the listed 'perils' or causes. Some property policies are 'all risk' policies, which may cover mold contamination, unless the insurer can prove that the cause(s) or the mold contamination itself is excluded in the policy."

An online article written by Terry Cullen and published in The Wall Street Journal Online May 19, 2004 said:

"Add mold to the growing list of household hazards that insurers won't cover. After suffering steep losses relating to mold-related claims between 2001 and 2003, property and casualty insurers moved quickly to restrict coverage for mold damage in states such as California, Texas and Florida, where heat and humidity create an ideal breeding ground for mold. Now those coverage cutbacks are spreading to the Northeast, Midwest and other areas of the U.S. More consumers are receiving notices from their insurers informing them that mold is being excluded from standard policies, unless the damage is a direct result of a water-related events that are covered under their policies. Currently, some 44 states have such exclusions, according to the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group based in New York. As a result, homeowners must decide whether to pay extra for mold insurance "riders" that provide additional coverage, or take responsibility for preventing the spread of mold in their homes on their own."

And this article by David Wichne published in The Arizona Daily Star, Saturday, September 21, 2002, stated:

"Arizona insurers scale back mold-damage coverage - The insurers' pullback means homeowners may find it increasingly hard to press claims for mold damage caused by water leaks or flooding, industry officials say. Since the beginning of this year, four of Arizona's five biggest home insurers have moved to shore up policy exclusions on mold-related claims or to limit the amount they will pay to clean up mold, according to the Arizona Department of Insurance."

Does your insurance cover you or will you have to pay for clean up out of your own pocket?

If you hire a remediation company your cost will range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the amount of damage done. How much are you willing to spend to get a special "rider" on your insurance policy? How much are you willing to spend on clean-up?

Cleaning up after water damage is hard work but you can save yourself a lot of money by having or getting an ozone generator.

We encourage you to call us toll free at 1-800-639-9471 or e-mail us with your questions. We know this technology is new to many people, and our customer service representatives are available to explain how our products will safely provide the benefits you're looking for.

You can order by phone, or place your order on line. Visit our online store.

Remember you get to try it in your home for 30 days to make sure it's right for you, if not you'll get your money back. We not only manufacture our products in New Hampshire, we also repair them here. So unlike your TV, if any thing goes wrong with your ozone machine, even after the warranty period, we can make sure it keeps working for you, for as long as you own it.

All of our products are sold with a Two Year Warranty and a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee.

None of the information presented here-in is to be construed in any way as medical or legal advice . None of the statements made on this site has been evaluated by any applicable government regulatory agency (Federal or State), nor should the statements or opinions expressed be construed as offering advice of any kind, including but not limited to the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease.